1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plumbing tools and more particularly to a tool for removing faucet stem nuts.
Most faucets are provided with externally threaded tubular stems, projecting downwardly through a sink or basin flange, which are coaxially connected with the water supply line. The faucet stem is normally provided with a nut which bears against the depending surface of a sink or basin flange for holding the faucet firmly in place. When it is necessary to remove the old faucet for installing a new one it is difficult to remove the faucet nut on account of the limited space between the building wall and the adjacent generally vertical surface defining the bowl of the sink or basin. These faucet nuts and faucet stems on older installations are usually corroded as with rust or calcium deposits in the area of the nut and often cannot be removed by using conventional wrenches or other tools and as a result the faucet nut must be chiseled off which is also difficult and time consuming on account of the limited space.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,069,528; 2,688,185 and 2,853,723, generally disclose nut splitting tools of the impact-type wherein the nut splitter must surround the nut to be split and the adjacent end of the bolt shank. Such nut splitting tools are generally incapable of being used on a faucet nut on account of the limited space wherein a hammer, or the like, can not be used to an advantage in providing force for the nut splitting action.
Other nut splitting tools presently in use require that the tool surround the nut and axis of the bolt shank and the use of a wrench to move a screw bolt in turn moving a nut splitting cutter toward the nut. Such tools are generally unsatisfactory on account of the limited space and the fact that the faucet nuts are relatively thin and the screw bolt operated nut splitting tool cannot be properly positioned for engaging the faucet nut.